Skulltula

Skulltula
Artwork of a Skulltula from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Latest appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
Notable member(s) Cursed family
Variant(s) Big Skulltula Gold Skulltula Skulltula Tektite Walltula
Relative(s) Strandtula
Comparable Deeler

Skulltulas are a recurring species of giant spider, usually found hanging by a silk thread. Their most prominent feature is their tough, skull-patterned carapace, earning them their name. Their real eyes are not those of the skull, but found down below on their actual heads. Usually, their underbelly is softer and weaker than their backs.

History

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Skulltulas are common enemies in narrow halls and occasional enemies in large open rooms, first being found along with several variants inside the Deku Tree. Unlike most enemies, they are unrestricted by biome and as such appear in many regions. They hang by their string near the ceiling, descending rapidly when Link approaches. In some cases, they seem to come through the ceiling itself if the room is short enough. A few are also invisible, requiring the Lens of Truth to see. If Link gets too close to one, it rapidly spins, knocking him away while damaging him. When left alone, they slowly flip between showing their backs and bellies. Child Link's non-explosive items cannot damage a Skulltula from the back, so he must time his attack to hit the belly while not getting too close. Adult Link's Hookshot will paralyze it briefly on the back, and arrows will defeat it regardless of side.

Their artwork shows them with black spider eyes on brown heads; in-game, they have solid dark heads, though the eyes sometimes glow red.

A cursed family in Kakariko Village was turned into hybrid Skulltula-like creatures. Unlike normal Skulltulas, the face on their back is indeed their actual face, while the normal spider "eyes" are actually their teeth. Attacking their belly will stun them while eliciting a pained wail. Once the stun wears off, they will attack him once in retribution if he approaches again.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Skulltulas are again common in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but now primarily appear near large gaps and narrow platforms so they can knock Link into them. One is the first normal enemy Link will encounter overall, appearing in Clock Town's sewer. The Fairy Bow is found relatively early in the game, making it easier to pick them off from afar. Another cursed Skulltula hybrid is found in the Swamp Spider House.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Skulltulas are made more dangerous and less common in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, though they are still an early-game introduction, being found in the Forest Temple. The first one shown appears dangling from a string, like before, but once approached, descends all the way to the ground and begins pursuing Link directly, likely to surprise players of the previous games. Later ones are sometimes also found dangling from threads at first, but also sometimes automatically on the ground, walking around. Getting them to expose their underbellies is much less simple due to their horizontal position and deliberate attacks, though a quick counterattack when one rears up or a successful Shield Attack stuns it enough to follow with several further blows. Additionally, Skulltulas that are already knocked down are susceptible to the Ending Blow.

Additionally, a water-filled room in the Forest Temple contains a smaller, orange-patterned Skulltula. It can be simply dealt with via the slingshot or Gale Boomerang, knocking it to the ground where it commonly goes into the water, defeating it instantly. If Link goes around and knocks it down, he can fight it normally, though it dies after only one sword hit. Despite only one appearing, the Skulltula artwork for this game uses this design.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Skulltulas are unique to the Ghost Ship. They are first alerted of via a growing shadow on the floor, similar to Wallmaster. They then slide down their threads from the top of the screen noisily, eventually going back up. They are much smaller and weaker in this game than normal, being able to be defeated from any side, while they always face the camera by default. In most cases, a defeated Skulltula is replaced by another after a while. The main danger of Skulltulas in this game comes from the Cubus Sisters; they claim to have a strong hatred of spiders, and will scream and freeze up if one appears near them for more than a split-second, thus alerting any nearby Reaplings. Due to Skulltulas often appearing abruptly in Link's path or behind him, this creates a large risk. Additionally, in the cargo hold, five non-respawning Skulltulas appear as a group midboss.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

In The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Skulltulas are only found while on the Spirit Train, specifically in the woodland portion of the Forest Realm after the Lost Woods and Forest Sanctuary are cleared. They travel down their threads until they are right over the track, but can be shot with the cannon. Due to being encountered before the cannon is obtained, they can additionally be scared off with the train's whistle. Additionally, some swing back-and-forth like a pendulum instead of holding still, and as such can be more difficult to hit. Once the Ocean rail map is recovered, a larger, orange type begins appearing. This one takes two hits to defeat, swinging back-and-forth after the first hit. Additionally, though it reacts to the whistle, it does not flee no matter how many times the whistle is blown.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Skulltulas debut in the Skyview Temple. They are now dark brown and the skulls have pupils, giving a surprised look. Like in Twilight Princess, they can walk, but often stay put on the front of large webs. Their weak point is now limited to a specific glowing spot on their bellies, which can be reached by flipping them over. When on a web, they can also simply be attacked from the other side.

Nintendo Land

In Nintendo Land, hand-crafted Skulltulas appear in the "Battle Quest" mode as bosses and enemies, first appearing in the fourth quest, Road to the Goron Mines. Their behavior is inspired by their appearances in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, though they are always grounded. They have impenetrable shells and a large amount of health, though they are rendered helpless by flipping them with an upward sword strike. They will right themselves after a short time, however.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda

In Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, Skulltulas appear in multiple colors and can be seen from their shadows when hiding up above. In this game, they shoot a sticky ball of webbing that traps the player character temporarily. They can be attacked from any angle.

Gallery

Artwork

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  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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  The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Sprites and models

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  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

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  The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

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  Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda

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  Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda

Miscellaneous

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  A #NintendoHalloween image, posted on Facebook by Nintendo in October 2014, showing Skulltula hanging from a circular web. Below it is a caption, "Spinning a web of fear."

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	スタルチュラ Sutaruchura	Staltula
French	Skulltula	-
German	Skulltula	-
Chinese (Simplified)	骷髅蜘蛛
Chinese (Traditional)	骷髏蜘蛛